


Forever And A Day

by goodmorning_mr_morgan



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Angst, Diary/Journal, F/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Prequel, Tragedy, so much angst lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 12:11:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16832377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodmorning_mr_morgan/pseuds/goodmorning_mr_morgan
Summary: Fall of 1883. The Van der Linde Gang is nothing but a small group of outlaws, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Now that winter is just around the corner, everyone is busy gathering resources, hunting and working hard to keep their heads above water. The real adventure begins when the mysterious Elizabeth Callahan crashes into their camp on her trusty steed Calypso after a disastrous attack on her family. The 20 year old Arthur Morgan writes down his first experiences of family, friendship and love in this collection of journal entries.





	Forever And A Day

October 22, 1883, 9:32 PM

"Hey boy, ain't tired yet?" The cleanly shaved, middle-aged man sat down next to the seemingly much younger boy by the campfire. It was a calm night at the camp of the Van der Linde gang, there was no sound to be heard but the leaves' rustling and owl's howling - nature at its finest. "Evening, Hosea. Not much, can't seem to find rest tonight." Hosea chuckled, he knew what the boy meant. Quiet nights get you thinking, they had lots of time for that recently since the O'Driscolls haven't caused any trouble. Hosea lit a cigar, offering it to his nocturne companion too. But the boy just put the journal he'd been scribbling in down to his lap to stare blankly at the horizon. He wasn't staring into nothingness, Hosea tried to follow his gaze but couldn't figure out just what it was. For all he knew it surely wasn't just some deer. A bear maybe? They're hard to spot in the dark. "You seen a ghost, Arthur?" He shook his head. "Fire." Arthur pointed at a large plume of thick smoke. They both stood up, Hosea squinting, it was hard for him to see it in the dark. "It seems far away enough, I don't think we have to worry. Still, I better tell Dutch." And that's what he did, running to the leader's tent and disappearing in it without looking back. Arthur tried to protest, he needed instructions. Should he just stay there? Grab his gun? Chase after Hosea?  
Arthur, now by himself, got more and more nervous as he heard - and felt - hooves bashing to the ground like lighting and gunshots ringing in his ears like its thunder. A white horse carrying a blonde woman in a golden gown crashed through the woods right into the camp. Arthur immediately pulled his gun out, aiming right at her head. She stopped the horse with a violent pull, it was stumbling already anyway. "Do NOT shoot her!" Dutch yelled as he and Hosea stormed out, rifles in their hands, as they saw Arthur aiming his gun at the lady who didn't seem to know what to do. Her horse stuggled to stay on its hooves, whining and trampling nervously. All three men ran up to her, Hosea quickly advising the camp's ladies to stay back. When approaching they noticed all the dark red blood stains on the dress, she had been shot. It looked like the bullet wasn't stuck in her leg at least but strived it very close. "You bein' followed?" asked the leader in a loud voice so she could hear him over all the noise. "No - I mean yes b-but I-I think I lost them-" She tried to calm the white steed down, vigorously patting its neck. Too late, her scream already clang through the camp. The horse trippled, neighing desperately and out of pain, then it fell plump to the side. There were several wounds to be seen on its legs, the neck and rump. It wasn't bleeding too terribly but the noises made clear just in how much pain it was. It all happened in slow motion before Arthur's eyes. He wasted no time, his gun dropped to the floor and he rushed forward to catch the girl and save her from being squished by the big horse. It didn't turn out as gracefully and hero-like as he had anticipated as he almost got them both squished like applesauce.  
He fell backwards on his ass, pulling her tight as to make sure she wouldn't get hurt. It pushed the air out of him when she landed on his stomach. Immediately she tried to rob away from him to the horse, crying and completely out of breath, not even thinking about expressing her thanks to her saviour. Not that she wasn't grateful but it all happened too quickly to process, her mount being all that was on her mind. "Calypso! No, please! Please help her!" She whined, hugging the horse's neck. Arthur shook his head trying to get back to senses and stood up again. "Miss! Hey Miss! She's wounded! Miss Grimshaw!" The woman came running after Dutch's call for help and they both pulled the girl away from her horse, away from Arthur. She was crying, begging them to help it instead of her. "It's all right miss, we'll get you both patched up in no time!" said Susan Grimshaw, Hosea rushing to help her carry the girl. It needed them both to stop her from trying to escape and get her to calm down. With a free hand she wiped the girl's tears. "So no need to cry. You comin' from that fire?" She nodded. "My name's Elizabeth. Elizabeth Callahan. My family owned the mansion just outside Blackwater they... they burned it all, the people called O'Driscolls." she babbled in high speed, looking over her shoulder to Calypso and briefly locking eyes with Arthur. Arthur couldn't take his eyes off of her when she was being carried into a tent, even after she'd already turned around again.  
Now that the situation had calmed down, Tom McMillan and Janie Conway scurried out of the tent they were hiding in to catch some of the action and spot the newcomer, Janie advising the young boy to followe her quietly with a quick hand gesture. She had a mischiveous smile across her thin lips as they sneaked behind their tent from cover to cover to reach the tent they brought Elizabeth to. "This is great, Janie! We can hear everything they're saying." Tom gave her an approving double thumbs-up, she responded by quickly pressed her index finger to her lips. "Curiosity killed the cat!", they heard Miss Grimshaw's sharp voice say and they immediately looked at each other worriedly, then at the woman who stepped out of the tent with a cast iron skillet in her hands, ready to smack two butts. "You two are just like children! Now get lost!" She chased them off with the skillet and made sure they stayed on the other side of camp before returning to her patient. "Well done, dew-beater.", Janie hissed the snarky comment and turned her back on Tom, sitting arms crossed on the other side of the campfire as he tried to fight off the insult. Dutch smiled. He waved Bessie Matthews, Hosea's wife, over and walked around the heavily breathing white steed. It was alive, barely. "Ms Matthews, see what you can do about the horse. And Arthur... check on the gal, will ya?"

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy!  
> This is Yuna, the author, and "Forever And A Day" is my first actual long-term project. I hope you enjoyed this short introduction to the story and feel intrigued to keep reading! The following chapters will be held in Arthur's journal style and I'm trying to keep it as true to the actual storyline of Read Dead as possible. If you do notice something that doesn't line up though (besides the characters I added that don't appear in the actual game), please do tell me!  
> Anyhow!! Thank you SO much for reading, hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing!
> 
> (Sorry for the babble.)
> 
> (<3)


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